Aizawl, Jan 12 (PTI) Mizoram will receive 18,500 COVID-19 vaccines in the first phase of vaccination drive, a top health department official said on Tuesday.

State Health secretary H. Lalengmawia told PTI that a consignment of 18,500 doses of Covishield vaccines manufactured by Serum Institute of India will soon arrive in the state.

He said that 14,107 state healthcare workers and 314 central healthcare workers, have been identified to receive COVID-19 vaccine in the first phase.

Collection of data for frontline workers like the police, defence and security personnel and sanitation workers, among others, is being undertaken.

The health secretary said that about 8,325 healthcare workers will be vaccinated in the first phase as vaccines are to be given in two doses.

All the beneficiaries, who are registered in the database, will receive COVID-19 vaccine one after another, he said.

Lalengmawia, who is also the chairman of the state task force for COVID-19 vaccines, said that the state government is fully prepared for the first phase of vaccination drive.

He said that the state government has set up four vaccination sites - Aizawl Civil Hospital, Lunglei Civil Hospital, Kulikawn Sub-District Hospital and Urban Public Health Centre at ITI Veng in Aizawl, where the first roll-out of COVID-19 vaccine will be conducted on Saturday.

He further said that the state government has asked the Centre to provide three additional temperature controlled vans apart from the existing nine to transport COVID-19 vaccines within the state.

Lalengmawia on Tuesday convened a meeting of the state task force for COVID-19 vaccine to review the preparedness.

The meeting said that 100 beneficiaries each will be given vaccines in the four vaccination sites on the launching day of the vaccines on Saturday.

The meeting also said that the Centre's operation guidelines will be strictly followed during the inoculation drive.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)